"HARD LINES" SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 5

"HARD LINES" SOLDIERS

There is one thing that every soldier .knows, and,it is this: Hint for each man who gots a decoration there is. at least one other who experiences "hard "lines." The reward of this.iran is the respect of his comrades and the esteem of his officers. But the people at home .knew nothing about it—and it is for the sake of the people at homo that the soldier wants a decoration. It is possible that he may have done consistent good work, but that work may have just failed to "make a picture"—it cannot be written into a sufficiently thrilling narrative to provoke the people at Brigade or Divisional Headquarters into giving him a D.C.M. or JUL There never are sufficient decorations to go round the. deserving. Take a typical instance: There is a German machine-gun opposite' which has been causing much annoyance. ,-U night a corporal and fivo men crawl out with a few bombs in their pockets and blow it out of action. It is a clever piece of work, depending for its success upon the steady nerve and-quick instinct of all three men". There w a Military Hedal in it—but onlv one." Quito rightly, the tfiVporal gets it. He protests—and truthfully—that, he . has done no more to earn a decoration than his two "pals." But his officers know that if three recommendations are sent in, two wiil certainly be refused, and possibly all three. \lt is nevertheless bad.luck that the other two men should have nothing to show the people at home for what they have done. These two men may get their reward nest time. But if there-Is no next time for them? A case identical with that 'Which I have cited occurred in the battalion I know best, and the two men were killed the following week whilo performing the necessary, but undistinguished, task of bringing up the company's rations! It was then that the colonel instituted what we called "Hard Lines Cards." They consisted of well-printed cards boaring the regimental name and crest, and they certified in a few words that the undermentioned n.c.o. or man had performed his duty u-ith gallantry and distinction at a certain place upon the date montioned, and had merited thereby the thanks of his commanding 1 officer and of his regiment; and the cards were signed by tho colonel. 'Theso cards were not distributed too freely among the men. They had to be well earned—and tho men lfnew it. The result was that they were valued almost as highly as decorations. And they were something to send to the people at home -to let them know (-(William Eldedale, in the "Daily. Mail.")